What if the expectations you are trying so hard to meet are the very things preventing you from enjoying your life?

That question sits at the heart of the latest episode of Fishing Without Bait, as behavioral health therapist Jim Ellermeyer continues his conversation with Melissa Carey.

From exploring Reiki and alternative spiritual practices to discussing the complicated emotions of motherhood, Melissa shares a journey of learning to trust herself and accept the unexpected turns in her life.

What does it actually mean to stand up for human dignity?

In Episode 536 of Fishing Without Bait, Jim Ellermeyer concludes his three-part conversation with Monica Ruiz of Casa San José by moving from awareness into action.

Throughout the conversation, Monica challenges listeners to look beyond assumptions and headlines and instead have meaningful conversations with the people around them.

What happens to a community when people become afraid to participate in everyday life?

That question sits at the heart of Fishing Without Bait Episode 535, as Jim Ellermeyer continues his conversation with Monica Ruiz of Casa San José.

This is Part 2 of their discussion, and Monica brings the conversation directly into the experiences of immigrant families in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

What does it mean to advocate for a community without speaking over the people who actually make up that community?

That question is at the heart of Part 1 of Jim Ellermeyer’s conversation with Monica Ruiz of Casa San Jose.

Monica is a social worker who has called Pittsburgh home for nearly 20 years. Her work has taken her from helping individuals directly to working on larger systems and policies that affect entire communities.

That path eventually brought her to Casa San Jose.

What if personal growth isn’t always about repairing something that is broken?

In Episode 533 of Fishing Without Bait, Jim Ellermeyer begins a four-part conversation with Melissa Carey, whose work draws from music therapy, mindfulness, breathwork, sound, meditation, and other practices centered around presence.

Early in the conversation, Melissa offers a simple but meaningful idea: “I feel we are already whole.”

Sometimes growth starts with doing something you aren't completely comfortable doing.

In Part 3 of our Fishing Without Bait conversation with sports broadcaster Austin Cairns, that idea becomes a common thread connecting everything from professional wrestling and broadcasting to mindfulness and simply paying attention to what is happening in front of us.

Austin has spent enough time around independent wrestling to learn that what happens behind the curtain can be just as complicated as what happens inside the ring.

How often do we accomplish something meaningful and immediately start thinking about what comes next?

In Part 2 of our conversation with sportscaster Austin Cairns, that question becomes an important part of the discussion.

Austin describes himself as someone who spent a lot of his college years wanting to “go, go, go.” There was always another project, another opportunity, another goal. The problem was that constantly moving forward also made it easy to burn out and difficult to appreciate what was happening around him.

What happens when you don't know what you want to do with your life?

For Austin Cairns, the answer began to emerge during one of the most uncertain periods imaginable.

In Episode 530 of Fishing Without Bait, Jim Ellermeyer begins a conversation with Austin about growing up in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, navigating high school during the COVID-19 pandemic, and gradually discovering an interest in broadcasting.

Sometimes an older conversation suddenly feels like it was recorded for the moment we're living in now.

That's why we're going back into the Fishing Without Bait archives this week.

As another school year begins, social media and its relationship with young people is once again a major part of the national conversation. Questions surrounding screen time, online safety, social comparison, mental health, age restrictions, and the responsibilities of technology companies continue to make headlines.

There Is No There: Learning to Live by Moments

What are you working so hard to get to?

That's one of the questions Producer Mike brings into Episode 529 of Fishing Without Bait. Jim Ellermeyer's answer cuts through a lot of the noise:

What happens when a person is taught that something was wrong with them before they ever made a choice?

That question sits at the center of Episode 528 of Fishing Without Bait. Jim Ellermeyer and Producer Mike examine the doctrine of original sin and the lasting effect that messages about guilt, shame, obedience, and unworthiness can have on a person’s life.

What does it actually mean to “be like the Buddha”? Jim Ellermeyer and Producer Mike explore how being more awake, compassionate, intentional, and less attached to outcomes can help us participate more fully in the life happening right now.

In Fishing Without Bait 526, we continue our conversation with Vic Costik of the New Rust Pittsburgh Podcast.

Part 2 explores authentic living, LGBTQ+ belonging, community-building, healthier relationships and the artists, makers and wonderfully weird people behind Vic’s love letter to Pittsburgh.

Fishing Without Bait welcomes Vic Costik, creator of the New Rust podcast, for the first part of a conversation about Pittsburgh, community, identity, and finding the freedom to live authentically. Vic shares how moving from New York City to Pittsburgh helped him discover found family, embrace his community, and ultimately begin meeting himself for the first time.

What happens when someone you care about reveals a political belief that you never expected?

Does the relationship immediately end? Do you begin arguing? Do you reduce that person to a party label, or do you become curious about how they reached their conclusions?

Fishing Without Bait 524 concludes Jim Ellermeyer’s three-part conversation with Missy Sorg. Throughout this final installment, Jim and Missy discuss political disagreement without treating the conversation as a competition that one side must win.

Political conversations often become arguments about which side is right. In Episode 523 of Fishing Without Bait, Jim Ellermeyer and Missy Sorg attempt something different: asking what happens after the talking points end.

This is Part 2 of our conversation with Missy, and the episode moves directly into some of the most emotionally and politically difficult subjects facing families and communities.

In Fishing Without Bait 522, Jim Ellermeyer begins a new conversation with Missy Sorg about political differences, friendship, and how to keep talking when the world feels divided. Missy shares why she wanted to return to the show to discuss the pain of lost friendships, assumptions, and being reduced to a political label. Jim and Missy explore the search for common ground, the danger of “contempt prior to investigation,” and why real conversations require curiosity, respect, and a willingness to listen.

This final part moves through some powerful and deeply human territory: faith, queer history, identity, community, Pittsburgh, personal freedom, and the ongoing work of finding your voice.

Jim opens the conversation around belief, spirituality, and the idea of a power greater than ourselves. From there, Eamon and Merlin explore how culture shapes the way people see the divine, and how different traditions often describe the same light through different lenses.

The conversation with returning guests Eamon and Merlin continues in Part 3 with one of the most reflective discussions in the series.

The episode begins by exploring an idea that can transform how we see ourselves and others: choosing curiosity over certainty. Rather than clinging to beliefs simply because they're familiar, the conversation encourages asking an important question: "What if I'm wrong?" That willingness to remain open becomes a foundation for growth, learning, and mindfulness.

Throughout the episode, Eamon and Merlin share personal experiences involving family relationships, marriage, faith, forgiveness, and community. Their stories demonstrate how preconceived ideas often begin to unravel when people move beyond assumptions and engage with one another directly.